Why did Indian Government Issue 'High Risk' Cybersecurity alert for iPhone and iPad users?

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has issued a "high risk" warning for Apple device users. The advisory highlights a serious security vulnerability in older versions of iOS and iPadOS that could leave iPhones and iPads open to attack.

What's the Risk?

According to CERT-In, the flaw could allow malicious applications to transmit sensitive system-level Darwin notifications—without special permissions. If exploited, the vulnerability could cause Apple devices to become unresponsive or completely non-functional until a full restore is performed.

Who’s Affected?

This issue impacts iPhones running versions prior to iOS 18.3 and iPads running versions before iPadOS 17.7.3 or 18.3, depending on the model.

Affected Devices Include:

iPhones: iPhone XS and newer (with iOS versions before 18.3)

iPads:

iPad Pro (2nd generation and later)

iPad (6th generation and later)

iPad Air (3rd generation and later)

iPad mini (5th generation and later)

Recommended Actions:

Apple has already rolled out security patches to fix the issue. CERT-In strongly urges all users to:

Update to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS immediately

Avoid downloading apps from untrusted or unofficial sources

Watch for unusual activity on their devices, which could signal a breach

This warning is part of ongoing efforts by the Indian government to safeguard digital security and ensure that consumers remain protected from emerging threats.